How to create a fairytale-inspired room with Castle Core decor

Your guide to the latest trend in enchanting room design!

Image by Jorge Ferreiro on Adobe Stock.

​Have you seen the latest home decor trend on Pinterest? It’s called Castle Core, and it’s predicted to be the hottest interior design style this year! I have been completely captivated by castles since I was a toddler, so this decorative trend is one bandwagon I can’t resist jumping on! So what is Castle Core? Let’s explore this “happily-ever-after” style together…

The Castle Core home decor aesthetic—also referred to as Medieval Core or Royal Core—draws inspiration from design styles found in the Old World European castles, English manors, and French chateaux. The medieval period, or Middle Ages, lasted from approximately 500 AD to 1500 AD. This gives you 1,000 years of stylistic nuances to consider when creating this design scheme. That’s a lot of room for self-expression!

Castle Core decor blends historical design styles with mythological and fantasy elements. The obvious word associations for Castle Core are Gothic, medieval, and royal, but other stylistic considerations include luxury, comfort, heraldry, elegance, vintage, and Maximalism. The perfect fairytale castle sanctuary will also include home accents that fill your space with an essence of escapism, fantasy, enchantment, romance, and drama.

Image created with Adobe Firefly.

​Close cousins of the Castle Core aesthetic include the English Manor style, Cottage Core, Victorian, Gothic Revival, Fairy Core, Rococo, Western Gothic, and Modern Gothic. Each of these styles creates a sense of nostalgia for a bygone era while blending contemporary sensibilities. 

A wide range of decorative styles overlap or fall into the category of Castle Core, but today’s focus will be on the mystical, fairy-inspired version. Think King Arthur, Harry Potter, or Grimm’s Fairy Tales. So grab your white unicorn, and let’s get started!

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